This invention relates generally to receptacles of the type assembled to coin operated vending machines, and more particularly, provides an improved coin and paper currency receptacle assembly comprised of a pair of cooperating units of which one unit is adapted to be fixedly mounted on the interior of the vending machine for receiving coins therethrough and the second unit is adopted to be removably assembled to the said one unit in position to store the coins passing through said one unit. Further, said second unit is comprised of a pair of storage compartments for holding coins and paper currency respectively and a pocket for holding a computer printout of the money received through the machine.
Vending machines of current design normally have receptacles installed in the interior of the machine in position to receive coins which have been inserted to activate the vending machine. Machines of current design also may have a mechanism which can be activated by means of paper currency inserted into a designated slot on the face of the machine. However, the paper currency usually is stored in the machine separately from the coin currency. Periodically, the machine is serviced by a service man who opens the machine, removes the coin loaded receptacle, and replaces it within a special prefabricated position in the machine. The paper currency is separately collected from a currency receiving storage space in the machine. The collected coins and currency together are then deposited by the service man at an authorized accounting station.
Heretofore, such coin collecting receptacles have been fabricated of a pair of interacting parts, which included spring biased slides and spring catch mechanisms of somewhat complicated and expensive design. Typical examples of such structures are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,177,920, 4,372,479, 4,289,269, 4,359,184 and 4,456,165. The use of a bag into which the coins are collected is shown in these patents, the bag being attached to one of the interacting parts and is withdrawn when the said one part is separated from the second part for collecting the coins by a service man. Generally, such coin receptacle devices have required security means for locking the receptacle automatically when the coin box of the device was removed by the service man.
In recent times, coin vending machines have computer capability incorporated therein which automatically produces an accounting record of the money inserted into the machine to activate it. The money may be in the form of coins or paper currency. The provision of such computer records has eliminated the need for security triggering means which locks the coin receptacle when a service man removes the receptacle as shown, for instance, in U.S. Patent No. 4,372,479.